"I never liked it, it never brought me any good" - Grigor Dimitrov bemoans 'Baby Federer' nickname as one of the 'worst' things in his career
Grigor Dimitrov has opened up about being compared to Roger Federer early on in his career. The Bulgarian, now 33, feels that the comparisons did not do him any favors over the course of his tennis career.
Dimitrov made his ATP tour debut in 2008. At the time, he was regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in men's tennis due to his exploits in junior tennis, which included the 2008 Wimbledon Championships and 2008 US Open boys singles titles.
The Bulgarian possessed an aggressive yet stylish and attractive all-court game, similar to that of Federer. Unsurprisingly, this led to comparisons between the two, with Dimitrov eventually being nicknamed 'Baby Fed'. However, this put him under immense pressure, especially as Federer had already won several of his 20 Grand Slam titles by the time Dimitrov's nickname came along.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Dimitrov said that initially, he found the nickname "funny", feeling it was pointless. However, the Bulgarian went on to call it "one of the worst things" he has experienced.
"Honestly, I found it funny at the beginning, and then I started… not hating it but I didn’t like it because there was no point to it. We’re so different and we have some resemblances but we’re really not the same people and I think it was so unnecessary. One wish I would have for a young kid is not to be compared to someone. I think it was probably one of the worst things I had to deal with in my career," Dimitrov told The Athletic.
The former World No. 3 proceeded to say that he had a dislike for the nickname because for him, it was always about being himself.
"I never liked it and it never brought me any good. Of course I’m flattered but I always wanted to be my own person," Dimitrov added.
"I was very happy that this nickname died" - Grigor Dimitrov
In December 2021, Dimitrov sat down for an interview with Tennis Majors, during which he expressed how happy he felt when people stopped referring to him as 'Baby Fed'. The Bulgarian also stressed on the differences between his and Federer's respective styles of play.
"I appreciated it so much at the beginning. But then with time, I was like, 'Come on, it's getting old.' Yes, we have some sorts of similarities, but we're totally different and we play so differently," Dimitrov told Tennis Majors.
"I thought I'd proved myself over the years to be a completely different player than he is. That's why I was very happy that this nickname died," he added.
Dimitrov is currently preparing for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The World No. 10's last outing came at the 2024 Cinch Championships at The Queen's Club in London, where he was ousted by eventual semifinalist Sebastian Korda in the second round.